Forgive me if I'm not even slightly excited about the recent news buzzing all over the internet on bass fishing chat sites, blogs and news reports. It appears a Japanese angler Manabu Kurita has caught a mammoth largemouth bass at Lake Biwa in the Shiga Prefecture of Japan. Reports say Kurita, a pro staffer representing Deps Tackle Co. in Japan, landed a 22-pound, 5-ounce bass that measured 29.4 inches in length.

Bassmasters reported on their website that early reports are that the fish was caught just before noon on July 2 on live bait (either a bluegill or a native fish similar to a bluegill). His rod was a Deps model, his reel was a Shimano Antares DC7, and his line was 25-pound-test Toray fluorocarbon.

You'd have to be happy for anyone catching a world record of this class. After all, the current world record has stood for more than 75 years. George Perry caught his famed bass in Georgia in 1932 that weighed 22-pounds, 4-ounces. Some bass fishing fans will find a little grace in the fact that Perry's name may not fall from the top spot.

If certified by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), Kurita's bass is bigger but not big enough to stand alone. IGFA rules state that a bass must weigh 2 ounces more than Perry's to break the record. That means Kurita's new catch would technically tie it at just an ounce over Perry's current record. However, some reports say the bass weighed just under 22-pounds, 5-ounces.

I can't remember which football legend said it, but a tie is like kissing your sister and whether they say so or not, Japan would now be home to the world record bass in my book; even if it's just an ounce bigger, it's bigger.

Perry's old record has had some serious close calls in recent years from bass caught on the west coast here. Still, many anglers say they aren't surprised about the new record coming from Japan since they've been stocking largemouth bass there for years and have some waters that grow more than quality bass. The previous Japanese bass record weighed 19.15 pounds and was caught by Kazuya Shimada from Lake Ikehara on April 22, 2003, on a swimbait.

There's good news from the prairie pothole regions as far as ducks making their fall flight plans this year, and it means good news for duck hunters as well. These figures are the best we've seen in some time and better than the predicted long-term averages.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its preliminary report on mid-continent breeding ducks and habitats, based on surveys conducted in May and early June. Total duck populations were estimated at 42 million breeding ducks on the surveyed area. This estimate represents a 13 percent increase over last year's estimate of 37.3 million birds and is 25 percent above the 1955-2008 long-term average.

"The increase in duck numbers in relation to the increase in habitat conditions is consistent with what we would expect to see in U.S. and Canadian breeding grounds this spring," said Ducks Unlimited's Executive Vice President Don Young. "History has repeatedly shown that when water returns to the breeding grounds ducks respond with a strong breeding effort."

While numbers are up, DU Chief Biologist Dale Humburg explains that hunter success will still depend heavily on weather, which will dictate migration patterns.

That's right--you still have one final chance to be in on the big elk hunt this fall. But it'll probably cost you to be the highest bidder. The final permit for participation in Tennessee's first-ever managed elk hunt will go to the successful bidder in an auction that benefits the state's elk restoration program.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) donated a permit to a Non-Governmental Organization. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation (TWRF) is the first recipient of the donated special take permit that was issued for the historical hunt.

The TWRF will award its permit to the successful high bidder through an auction on eBay to be conducted from July 16-25. The winner will join four Tennessee residents who had their names selected in a computer drawing from almost 13,000 entries for the hunt scheduled Oct. 19-23 at the North Cumberland Wildlife Area. More detailed information about the elk tag eBay auction and the TWRF, can be found at www.twrf.net.

The participants who already have their places secured for the hunt are Craig Gardner of Parrottsville, Charles Ray Flynn of Rockford, Ronald L. Woodard of Oak Ridge, and Jeffrey L. Moses of Cleveland. The four winners were announced during the June meeting of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission.

All proceeds from the sale of the remaining special bull elk tag will go exclusively to the elk restoration program. The TWRF is partnering with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), Safari Club International (SCI), and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation (TWF), on the promotion of the last elk tag.

The five hunters will be invited to attend an elk camp complete with wall tents, campfires, meals, and entertainment. The elk camp will be held at the property of Terry Lewis near the North Cumberland WMA Elk Viewing Tower. Sponsors for the event include TWRF, TWRA, TWF, RMEF, and Campbell Outdoor Recreation Association (CORA).

TWRF is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting habitat conservation, an ethic of land stewardship, and Tennessee's hunting and fishing heritage for the benefit of TWRA and Tennessee's outdoor enthusiasts. For more information about elk hunting in Tennessee, visit the TWRA web page at www.tnwildlife.org.

The TWRA said as the air and water temperatures rise during the summer months, more fishermen are using the lakes during the nighttime and this requires extra precautions. Here's a quick list of things boaters should remember that will make their outing safer, whether day or night are:

*A Coast Guard approved wearable personal flotation device for each person onboard. Children, age 12 or under, must wear a life jacket when the boat is underway.

*Boats 16 feet in length or over (except canoes and kayaks) must also be equipped with one Type IV (throwable device) per boat in case someone falls overboard.

*Boats operating between sunset and sunrise and during periods of restricted visibility are required to display appropriate lights. Boats, not anchored, moored, or aground, must show all running lights. Boats at anchor must show appropriate anchor lights.

*Personal watercraft and skiing are prohibited from sunset to sunrise.

*Always keep a good lookout. Particularly at night, watch for floating debris, other boats, and islands or shorelines.